


dust to dust

by amuk



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020), Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
Genre: Cleaning, Family, Family Dynamics, Fluff, Found Family, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection, Loss, Missing Scene, Moving On, Post-Canon, Rebuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:14:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27094132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amuk/pseuds/amuk
Summary: It would take a little cleaning to set up the new Seventh Heaven, but Marlene, Tifa, and Barret were up for the job.
Relationships: Barret Wallace & Marlene Wallace, Tifa Lockhart & Barret Wallace, Tifa Lockhart & Marlene Wallace
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	dust to dust

**Author's Note:**

> For the Into the Lifestream Zine! I wanted to do a little post-game, Tifa, Marlene, and Barret piece, I really love them as an unconventional found family. (Also, me @ the AC movie, where’s my Barret and Marlene scenes?)

Marlene sneezed. The sound echoed through the currently empty bar, a big noise for such a tiny girl. Pausing from wiping the wooden bar top, Tifa glanced in the direction of her littlest helper. “You okay?”

Marlene rubbed her nose, a pout forming on her face. Crouched on the floor, she glared at the dustpan she’d just used. “It’s too dusty,” she grumbled, kicking the dustpan away. It skittered across the floor, scattering piles of dust before slamming against a chair. As a cloud of dust drifted her way, Marlene sneezed again.

Tifa chuckled fondly. Setting down her rag, she walked over to the dustpan and picked it up. “It is a little messy in here,” she admitted, scrunching her nose so she didn’t sneeze.

“A little?” Marlene scoffed, frowning deeply as she quickly backed away from the dust cloud. “It’s really dirty here. And it’s like this every day!”

“That’s true,” Tifa agreed, grabbing the pan’s matching brush from where it’d fallen. Perhaps it was a too much work for a little kid to do. Setting them aside, she grasped a broom and crossed her arms on the handle, leaning on it with a wry smile. Conspiratorially, she stage-whispered, “But you can blame your dad for that.”

“Hey!” Barret poked his head out from the back rooms with a frown. “Blame me for what?”

As expected. He was always quick to respond when Marlene was around. Tifa raised a brow, challenging him. “The dust.”

“Well…I…” Barret winced, not really able to refute her point. “It’s construction work. Makes it kinda hard to not make a mess.” Heading toward them, he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “It isn’t that bad, is it?”

“Papa!” Marlene stomped her foot on the ground and another cloud of dust flew in the air. By this point, the hem of her purple dress looked grey. Coughing, she glared at her father. “It’s terrible!”

“Marlene!” Barret scrambled toward her. Scooping her up in his arms, he sat her on his right shoulder, keeping her high above the dust. It wouldn’t be too long till she grew too big for him to do that, and Tifa knew she’d miss the sight. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s just until we finish renovating. Once that’s done, I’ll help clean up.”

“Promise?” Tifa asked, narrowing her eyes. She was tired of cleaning up 7th Heaven for who knew how long. It was bad enough that she had to scrub the whole place after the daily evening patrons as it was; she couldn’t remember the last time the place had been spick and span for longer than a few hours.

Fortunately for her, Marlene chimed in, “Promise, Papa?” Her chubby hands clutched Barret’s short brush of hair and she leaned to the side to stare at him.

There was almost nothing Barret would do if Marlene asked him. Instantly, he nodded his head, a goofy smile on his face. “Promise.” He held up his left pinky and she giggled as she pinky-promised with him.

A future extortionist. For a six-year-old, she held so much promise. Tifa had to tell Cloud later. Satisfied, she straightened up and started to sweep the floor. Marlene had left a mess everywhere. “Think you’re almost done?”

The expression on Barret’s face told her everything. He grimaced, glaring at the back rooms as though they had personally affronted him. “Not yet. There’s some fu—freakin’ mold in the back that some idi—morons didn’t think to fu—fudgin’ check up on.” His arms crossed and Tifa could almost see Marlene’s pout in him. Like daughter like father, it seemed. “Have to replace the goddamn wood.”

Tifa blinked. Ever since Marlene had started attending school, Barret had tried to soften his language. He had reduced his swearing a smidge, talked a little nicer, and even remembered his p’s and q’s on occasion. And sure, maybe after the teacher had chewed him out, Tifa had expected him to try. She just hadn’t expected him to actually manage it.

“The wood’s bad?” Marlene glanced around, curious. “Is it going to collapse?”

“Not if I have anything to fuckin’ say about it,” Barret replied reassuringly and well, he was trying at least. It was the thought that counted and all that. “Besides, we don’t have a basement to fall into.”

“Not anymore.” Tifa glanced at the old pinball machine and bit her lip. It was strange to think it was just a game now, that pressing the right buttons wouldn’t lead to a secret base. That the bar was just a bar, nothing more.

Following her gaze, Marlene sighed wistfully. “I miss the basement. And Jessie.” Her eyes started to tear up and she sniffled. “And Biggs. And Wedge.” By this point, she was full on crying and she pressed her face into Barret’s coarse hair. “And Aerith,” she mumbled.

“Marelene…” Barret frowned and he gently pried her off his shoulder and into his arms. Enveloping her in a hug, he murmured, “Yeah, kiddo.” His voice started to crack and he held her tighter. “I miss them too.”

Tifa wiped an eye, fighting back her own tears. Sometimes, she still expected the rest of Avalanche to pop in through the door, determined expressions as they planned their next series of attacks. The war was over, but just. There were still sections of Midgar that needed repairing, crumbling walls and broken homes that were waiting for a helping hand.

An abandoned church that Tifa could still barely take a step in and that Cloud couldn’t stop visiting.

Grief was funny that way. She wondered how long it would take for them to recover, for the hurt to ease up. Then again, Tifa already knew the answer to that—there were days when she never thought about her hometown and days where she could hardly breathe, the fire and smoke still heavy in her lungs. If there was one saving grace, it was that Marlene was still young, too young to remember Avalanche all that well.

Hopefully her grief would be a small, dull ache, only brought out occasionally if at all.

Clearing her throat, Tifa walked over to Barret’s side. Stroking Marlene’s hair, she said, “I was thinking, we don’t have anything for them in the bar.”

Still sniffling, Marlene gingerly lifted her head. “We don’t?”

“Yeah.” Tifa nodded sadly. “Not a drink or a food or even decorations. I want to do something, but I’m not sure what.” She cocked her head, tapping her chin. “I wonder if someone could help me with it.”

Marlene’s eyes widened and she hiccupped. “I can!” Quickly, she wiped the tears from her eyes and hiccupped again. “I can help.”

“Great!” Tifa forced a grin. “I know the two of use can come up with something amazing.”

“Two?” Barret snorted, offended. “I can help too.”

“Oh yes, you can definitely help.” Tifa smiled darkly, marching back to the wall where she’d left the broom. Snatching it, she stomped back and held it out to her once illustrious leader. “You can clean.”

“What the fu—” Barret looked like he was about to say something more explicit, but a single glance at Marlene and he gritted his teeth. Tifa was thoroughly impressed—clearly that teacher had some power and she’d have to go along next time to find out what.

“You’re done for the day.” Tifa gestured at the clock on the wall. “We’re opening in two hours.” She stared pointedly at the layer of sawdust on the floor. “And that’s going nowhere.” Shaking the broom insistently, she glared at him. “Didn’t you just promise?”

Barret’s jaw dropped. “But that wasn’t—”

“Papa! You promised!” Marlene pulled back, frowning as she stared at his face. “And you said anyone who breaks promises were liars.”

He gulped. “I did but…”

“No buts!” Marlene squirmed in his arms until her set her down. “You have to clean, Papa!” She turned around and grabbed Tifa’s hand. “And we’ll make the most amazing drink for Briggs and Wedge.”

Tifa quickly shook her head when Barret stared at her, his brows knitted. _No alcohol,_ she mouthed.

“—and a minature computer for Jessie and flowers for Aerith,” Marlene continued, ticking it off on her fingers. 

“A computer?” Tifa blinked. Marlene remembered more than she expected.

“Yep.” She nodded determinedly. “They’re our family, so we have to make sure everything’s perfect.”

Family. It had been a long time since Tifa had used that word, but that was what they had been. What they all were now. Family. She nodded. “Yeah.”

And from now on, she wasn’t going to lose any of them.


End file.
